Educational Visits

St Helen's & St Joachim's spent a week in Rome, in this special Jubilee Year, as Pilgrims of Hope. We visited all 4 of the Basilicas in Rome; St. Peter's (Vatican), St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Paul Outside the Walls, and walked through each of the Holy Doors - only opened every 25 years. We learnt a lot about how early Christians lived in Rome and how the lives of Saints in the past shaped our Catholic Religion today. We also learnt a lot about the history of Rome and how it has developed and changed over many many centuries. It is a beautiful city, steeped in so much rich history. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring and learning about this wonderful place.

At the beginning of February Year 5 went to the Tower of London to reinforce their knowledge on the Tudors and learn some new facts about Prisoners who were kept in the Tower of London. Year 5 were able to participate in a workshop all about Pirate Prisoners who were kept in the tower and the conditions they were kept in. They learned about how Pirates were used by some Kings and Queens to bring exported goods to England.

Sikh Temple - Year 4 visited the Gurdwara in Barking. We learnt about the Sikh holy book the Guru Granth Sahib. We were given juices and we were able to see the Guru Granth Sahib.

Year 2 learnt that we don’t need sketch pads, pencils and brushes to create art, we can use the environment around us! Year 2 took a visit to West Ham Park where they were surrounded by nature. The children went on a nature hunt to find things to decorate their bracelets. We also used clay to make mini-mushrooms!

Year 2 travelled to Temple Bar to attend a Fire of London workshop. We participated in many activities such as; touring and observing many of Christopher Wren’s buildings, dressing up as if we were in the time of 1666, learning about Wren’s life, designing our own buildings using blocks or a quill pen with ink. It was a lot of fun and we learnt so much!

Year 6 attended a Junior Citizens educational visit as part of our Citizenship weeks. The children took part in a series of workshops aimed to support them and keep them safe as they transition into secondary school. These included: online safety, Transport for London, First Aid and fire safety. The children took a lot from these sessions and enjoyed their morning with the facilitators.

On Wednesday 22nd January 2025, 1Y went to the V&A museum in Bethnal Green.

Year 4 visited the Roman Amphitheatre in the Guildhall art gallery. This was part of our History Unit the Romans. Year 4 had the chance to use this enquiry skills to find out more about different artefacts from the Roman period. They also had a chance to pretend to be gladiators in an arena.

Some pupils in year 6 visited the Houses of Parliament. They had a tour of the buildings including the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The workshop taught them about how Laws are decided on and passed and the process they go through, from debate to being made law. They also learnt about the role of MPs and Lords and looked at the differences in the roles.

On Thursday 28th November, children from Year 5 and 6 attended the AIM High Maths day to challenge their mathematical thinking.